Magneto



C. F. REIS Feb. 13, 1940.

MAGNETO Filed Jan. 10, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR CURT F. REIS ATTORNEY Feb. 13, 1940. c. F. was 2,189,926

MAGNETO Filed Jan. 10, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CURT F. REIS od 4 M41,

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 13, 1940 UNITED? STATES PATENT] OFFICE.

Parts Manufacturing Company, N. Y., a corporation of New York New York,

Application January 10, 1938 ,"Serial-No. 184,208

" 1 Claim. (or. 171-209) This invention relates to magnetos and more particularly to improvements in the structure and" assembly arrangement of certain of the efiic'ient magneto for ignition purposes and the like.

Among the objects of the invention are the provision of a housing for the operating elements of the magneto, the housing including a remov- 'able frame member forming an extension for the housing, and a cover therefor, each supporting certain of the magneto parts; the provision of a remo'vablehousing extension member formed to provide a seat for a bearing assembly supporting one end of the magneto rotor, and adapted for the support of the distributor mechanism, breaker-assemblyf and distributor brush assembly, and the provision of a combined current collector and distributor assembly.

Other objects and advantages will appear from i the following description, as readin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevationof the 'improved magneto assembly; Fig. 2 is a trans-- 25 "versesection thereof taken along line 2-2 in Fig. 1, illustrating the breaker mechanism, and Figs.

3 and' 4 are transverse sections of the magneto larly for engine ignition purposes, includes a housing H formed of cast metal, preferably an aluminum alloy, but which may be formed of any suitable material, as desired. Supported by 40 ithe housing is a stator structure indicated generallyat I2 (Fig. 2), which includes a high tension=generating winding assembly M' (Figs. 1 and 2). Amagneto rotor functionally cooperates with stator [2, the type of rotor contem- 45 rplated to be employed as a preference in the present assembly, constituting of itself, the subject matter of my copending application, Serial N02 175,576, filed November 20,1937. Rotor I5 is mounted on a shaft !6 which has one end I8 50 journalled in a bearing assembly ill carried by an end wall of the housing H. The shaft end I8 is extended outwardly beyond the wall 20, for coupling to a driving element of the engine (not shown) with which the magneto is associated. 55 Asshown by Fig. 1, the magneto shaft driving coupling is comprised of an impulse type of coupling which may be of any well known form. The impulsecouplingillustrated, includes a disc 2'2 sleeved upon a tapered portion 23 of the mag- 60 neto shaft end 18 and locked thereon by a lock magneto parts, whereby to provide a compact and nut 24. Other operating elements of the coupling appearing in Fig. 1, include an engine driven' element' 25 anda torsion spring 21 the ends of which (not shown) are connected, one to the element 26 and the other tothe disc 22. As the impulse coupling forms no part of the invention, a further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Forming a continuation of housing I! at the end thereof opposite wall 20, is a frame member 28 preferably formed of an aluminum alloy casting and provided with a circumferential flange 38 through which'it is secured to housing H, as by screws 3I' (Fig. 2). An upstanding partition or wall member '32 within the frame 28 is formed to provide, in cooperation with a recess 34 in the lower portion 35 0f flange 30, a chamber or pocket 35 for the reception of a bearing assembly 38.

The bearing 38-which may be of the ball-race type as shown, serves to support the magneto rotor shaft end portion 39,and thus to complete the rotational mounting of the rotor.

A stub shaft 40 which serves as an operating support for a magneto distributor rotor and breaker cam mechanismlater to be described, is journalled by preference in a ball-race type of bearing .42 which is seated in a recess 43 formed in the upper end portion of wall 32. A gear 44 keyed or otherwisesecured to one end of the stub shaft, operatively engagesa pinion 46 on the end 39 of the magneto rotor shaft It, the gear and pinion serving to drive the stub shaft, through rotationof the magneto rotor shaft it by the engine.

To the opposite end 50 of the stub shaft is secured a flanged disc 5| formed of a suitable insulating material, such as hard rubber, fiber or Bakelite. Embedded in a circumferential surface portion of the disc is a metallic contact segment 52, formed of copper or other good conducting material. Formed by preference as an integral part of segment 52, is a conducting element or arm 54 also embedded in the disc element, the arm-being extended through one of the disc flanges and thence radially inwardly to the axis of the disc (Figs. 1 and 4). Current generated in winding M is conducted to the segment 52 through its arm. 54' in a manner now to be described.

Removably secured to the open end of the frame ZB is'a plate or cover element 55 formed by preference of an aluminum alloy, the cover having secured thereto on its inner side, a bracket 56 formed of a suitable insulating material, such as fiber or Bakelite, the assembly of the bracket to the cover being effected by suitable screws 58. Carried by the bracket is a metallic block 59 which supports a metallic conductor bar 60, the bar being extended inwardly of frame 28 for electrical contact with a spring contact 62 on winding M, the spring contact being electrically connected to the high tension terminal (not shown) of the winding. Also carried by the block 59 as by the screw 63, is a resilient, metallic finger element 64 which supports at its free end, a contact point or ball 66.

frictional engagement therewith, so. that ready disengagement therebetween may be effected upon removal of the cover 55 which'supports the bar. 60 and finger contact 64. I I

. ball 66, and element 54 serve to conduct high tension current from the magneto generating winding I4 to the contact segment 52 on disc 5|.

Distribution of the high tension current to the engine ignition elements, such as spark plugs (not shown), is made by the segment 52 through angularly spaced brushes 6'! arranged for frictional engagement with, the peripheral surface of disc 5| and in the path of the segment 52. Thus the disc 5| and its contact segment 52 function as a current distributor rotor. Although two brushes are illustrated, adapting the magneto to a two-cylinder engine, any number of brushes may be employed in properly spaced relation, to accommodate engines having more than two cylinders. The magneto and its two-brush distributor as shown, may be used also on single cylin-- der engines, through the utilization of but one of the brushes.

In the example shown, each brush 6'! is carried by a brush holder 68 which is mounted upon or formed as an integral part of the frame member 28. A suitable high tension conductor Ill leading from each brush and its holder, connects the zrush with an engine spark plug (not shown). The brushes and their holders are illustrated as located in the lower portion of the frame 28 and angularly spaced by substantially 90 degrees.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the related elements 60, 59, 64, 66, 54, 52 serve to collect high tension current and to distribute such current to the engine ignition means,

, through the brushes 61. Thus a greatly simplilead l5. Cooperating with contact 12 is a contact 16 carried on one end of an arm 18, the arm being pivoted at 19 to the wall 32. A spring attached to the arm and bearing against a strengthening boss 82 for the wall 32, serves to urge the arm 18 about its pivot in a direction to effect engagement of contact 16 with contact 12.

Actuation of the arm 18 is effected by a cam 83 formed bypreference, as an integral part of the stub shaft 4|], the position of the cam being be- The spring finger 64 is arranged so that its contact ball 66 is in electrical engagement The bar at, block 59, finger 64 and-its contact tween the shaft bearing and the 'disc 5| (Fig. 1). The arm 18 carries a finger or cam follower 84 formedof a suitable insulating material, such as fiber, and located so that its free end bears against the cam face. Contact of the follower with the cam is maintained by the spring 86 acting on the arm 18. A conductor 86 extending from the arm 18 is connected by screw 81, to the boss 82, thus providing the ground return for the ignition circuit.

The proper timing of breaker operation is attained through the particular'surface contour of the cam 83 and the operating ratio of gears 44 and 46, these factors being predetermined for a given engine with which the magneto is to be utilized. t

From the foregoing description, it will appear now that the breaker assembly, current collector 1 and distributor mechanism and one of the'mag- 28 and its cover 55. By disconnecting the frame thereof or alterations in location of the parts may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

In a magneto assembly, a frame structure of unitary cast construction and being of hooded type, open at the end opposite the driving connection of the magneto, a tubular element removably mounted on said frame adjacent the open end thereof, ignition terminals carried in spaced relation by the tubularelement, a magneto shaft and a magneto rotor supported thereby, a wall member projecting inwardly of the tubular element, bearing means carried by said wall, rotatably receiving one end of the magneto'rotor shaft, a distributor shaft journalled in said wall, gearing connecting the magneto rotor and distributor shafts, a breaker assembly carried entirely b-ythe wall member, a distributor rotor carried by one end of the distributor shaft, a

contact element carried by the distributor rotor,

a breaker cam on the distributor shaft between the distributor rotor and said wall member, an end closure plate for the tubular element serving therewith to complete the enclosure provided by the frame for the internal elements of the magneto, a high tension current generating winding supported said frame and operatively associated with said magneto rotor, a relatively rigid conductor element carried by and projected inwardly of the closure plate, and adapted for abutting contact with an opposed conductor element of said generating winding, and a relatively rigid yet somewhat resilient distributor supply conductor electrically connected to the conductor aforesaid and mounted internally of the closure plate in a manner to engage a portion of the contact on said distributor rotor.

' CURT F. REIS.

neto, rotor bearings are all carried by the frame 

